Transcript File - Garden Grove High School​AP Psychology

Hypochondriasis and
Conversion Disorder
By Diana and Nancy Nguyen
(:
Period 6
Hypochondria: Chronic and abnormal anxiety
about imaginary symptoms and ailments
Symptoms
People with hypochondria are unable
to control their fears and worries.
They often believe any symptom or
sensation is a sign of a serious
illness.
 They seek out reassurance from
family, friends, or health care
providers on a regular basis. They feel
better for a short time at most, and
then begin to worry about the same
symptoms, or about new symptoms.
 Symptoms may shift and change, and
are often vague. People with
hypochondria often examine their own
body.
 Those who are affected may recognize
that their fear of having a serious
disease is unreasonable or unfounded.
Causes

A history of physical or sexual abuse

A poor ability to express emotions



A parent or close relative with the
disorder
An inherited susceptibility for the
disorder
Conversion Disorder
Symptoms

Numbness



Paralysis
Blindness
Inability to Speak
Basically, the inability to
communicate
verbally, to see, to
feel externally, and to
move physically.
Treatments for Hypochondriasis
Supportive care — In most cases, the best course of 
action is for the person to stay in regular contact with a
trusted health care provider. Within this doctor-patient
relationship, the doctor can monitor the symptoms and
stay alert to any changes that might signal a real medical
illness. The doctor’s main approach is likely to focus on
reassuring and supporting the person, and preventing
unnecessary tests and treatments. It might be necessary,
however, to treat some of the symptoms, such as severe
pain.

Medicines — Antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs are
sometimes used if a person with hypochondriasis also
has a mood disorder or anxiety disorder. Selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors and some tricyclic
antidepressants are helpful as they are for obsessive
compulsive disorder, another anxiety disorder. This
may be an additional reason why hypochondriasis is
being considered as a health related anxiety with
intrusive thoughts.
Psychotherapy — Psychotherapy (a type of counseling) can be helpful in changing the thinking and behavior that
contribute to the symptoms. Therapy also can help the person learn better ways to deal with stress, and improve his
or her social and work functioning. Unfortunately, most people with hypochondriasis deny there are any mental or
emotional problems, making them fairly resistant to psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy has proven
successful when adapted to the special needs of these patients. This may prove to be the optimal treatment after
more research or in combination with the medication described above, but it is currently too early to be certain of
that. When an individual learns what initiates and continues their anxiety, they can learn how to reframe their
interpretations of the anxiety and how to change behavior to reduce the emotional impact of abnormal images. In
time they may be able to control these visions and convert them to more normal thoughts and images fairly
Causes of the Conversion Disorder and
Effects of Applied Treatments
Causes

Affected Thinking: thinking
oppositely about one thing, but
having your body do the exact
Ex: Restrained thinking of hitting someone,
feel arms and hands quiver and shake

A powerful and stressful situation
Ex: A powerpoint that decides your overall
grade for your AP Psychology class
Effects (Treatments)
Psycho/Physiotherapy: talking and
interaction through therapy,
sometimes physically
Ex: Psychodynamic, humanistic, etc. therapy
FOR PARALYSIS:
psychical or occupational therapy on
affected body limb(s)
Ex: Exercising affected legs due to paralysis
Conversion Disorder in Leroy, New York !!!
The cause of
conversion disorder in
Leroy, NY may have
been connected with a
toxic spill in the area.
Leroy, New York



12 people, all women, were affected by conversion
disorder in Leroy, NY last fall in early February,
2012.
Most of the female teenagers diagnosed went to Le
Roy Jr/Sr High School.
They all developed symptoms such as involuntary
twitching and verbal outbursts.
To lighten the mood,
Leroy, NY is where
the emergence of Jell
-O appeared ! (:
Facts and References ! (:
FACTS
Hypochondria is often associated with OCD

and anxiety
Conversion disorder used to be called

HYSTERIA.

Hypochondriasis tends to be a long-term
(chronic) condition that can last for years

The symptoms and disorder, itself, were
believed to be made up and people were falsely
accused of pretense

People with hypochondriasis truly believe they
are sick.

Conversion disorder is more common in
women, but it can affect men as well and can
strike at all ages. For every male diagnosed,
there are 2-6 women as well.
References
Http://www.minnpost.com/secondopinion/2012/03/theories-abound-about-conversiondisorder-and-illnesses-leroy-ny
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001950
/
Blais MA, Smallwood P, Groves JE, Rivas-Vazquez RA.
Personality and personality disorders. In: Stern TA,
Rosenbaum JF, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch SL,
eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive
Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby
Elsevier; 2008:chap 39
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002216/
my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/hypochondriasis/hic_hyp
ochondriasis.aspx
FINISHED (: